Is there something I should know?

I shall not mention the name of the auction house because the auction is still active, but this denarius of Faustina Senior carries a starting bid of 185£ and an estimate of 240£. It's not just that the firm overvalues everything; there are numerous denarii of Antoninus Pius and another denarius of Faustina Senior, all with starting bids of 25£ and estimates of 40£. This is the auctioneer's photo:



Now, I have the same coin -- purchased for less than $50, albeit in a slightly lower grade -- and was never under the impression it was special in any way. This is my coin:

Faustina Senior, AD 138-141
Roman AR denarius, 3.31 g, 18.0 mm, 11 h.
Rome, AD 147-161
Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: CERES, Ceres standing left, holding corn-ears and long torch.
Refs: RIC 378a; BMCRE 461-463; RSC 136; RCV 4591; CRE 77.

What's up with this particular auction listing? Do you think it's simply that the consignor set the minimum bid and has an unrealistic opinion of the coin's worth? Or am I missing something?

Please, please tell me now -- is there something I should know?

 

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Nice obverse but I don't see the price, IMHO.

 

The grade, I see it all the time in the Byzantine coinage, everyone wants the best. It comes under the philosophy you might see the coin again but doubtful in a grade that nice.

 

Nicest portrait I ever seen in that coin.

 

I think I paid $80 ( including shipping) for this one with a slightly different reverse. Not sure I would have paid more...in fact, I wish I would have found OP's $50 one as frankly it is a decent enough sample.

 

A grade that nice? This piece is not particularly nice but appears somewhat porous. Either poorly controlled acid cleaning left it such or long time burial caused some corrosion. While a collectable coin, this is nowhere what they originally appeared as. Regarding the L. 185, it's been too long since I've sought 2nd century denarii for me to be very familiar with them pricewise.

 

I agree with RC and others-- the price is out of line. Enlarge the picture-- the metal is porous and unappealing. The reverse is weakly struck from a worn die and is not at all artistic. The portrait is nice enough but not really fine style or remarkable other than for being a decent strike. The flan shape isn't nice. At that price... pass!

 

I like your coin at that price. The other coin is super nice. But do you think ten times better. Look at post 5. Is that 5 times better at same price

 

Oh, I've picked up mint state Faustina denarii for half the estimate:

 

Good job. Nice observation

 

Much nicer fields

 

I did too (in 2013):

Faustina Sr. Struck c. 150 AD.
19-17 mm.
AETERNITAS
Sear II 4574.

Sear does not list the CERES type as more valuable than usual, and neither would I.

 

It's one of the rare issues that illustrates the Divine Faustina on crack. (You can see it in the eyes.) Not in RIC.

 

We all make decisions on condition that modern collectors have trouble understanding. How much do you allow for wear, for strike, for style, for surfaces? Are all EF coins better than all VF coins? Would you rather have evenly textured surfaces or a few disturbed places in the fields? Is being barbarous a fault or a bonus? The three coins below were $25, $45 and $50 but I'm not saying which is which and which is worth more or less in my mind. Not all would agree. Many would say they would never own any such coin so you might prefer to ask what price you would put on each if you wanted to unload it. Do we make such decisions from our own feelings or do we listen to the auction house estimates?

 

Common and not exceptional.

Barry Murphy

 

3 very nice looking coins. Norhing wrong with dem babies

 

O RC, i was hearing DuranX2 in my head when i saw the post..now i'm hearing it in my ears! thanx! (oh, too much for de coin methinks also )...

 

The starting bid and estimate seem a bit too strong. If there's something exceptional about the coin, the auction house should state it ... If the coin hammers for even the starting bid, I'd be curious to know what i don't know.

 

Oh, I'm not a condition crank either, @dougsmit . Those are lovely coins, each interesting in its own way. I think the barbarous one at the bottom is the most interesting. As for the one with rough surfaces -- happens to ancient coins over the course of centuries. Here's the CERES seated version of the OP coin from my collection. It's not exactly FDC, but it's actually harder to come by than the overpriced one at the auction I noted when I started the thread:


Faustina Senior, AD 138-141.
Roman AR denarius, 3.09 g, 18.0 mm, 12 h.
Rome, AD 147-161.
Obv: DIVA FAVSTINA, bare-headed and draped bust, right.
Rev: CERES, Ceres seated left, holding corn-ears and long torch.
Refs: RIC 379; BMCRE 464-465; RSC 141; RCV --; CRE 75.